Building your dream home is an investment that you’ll want to last a lifetime. Therefore, your house needs to be built with future needs in mind. For instance, will your family be growing? Will you be taking care of parents or grandparents? Would you like to have more space to entertain friends or host relatives over the holidays? Are you building your home in a good location suitable for both your current and future needs? Having answers to these questions will help you make sound financial decisions now while building your home, saving you headaches and money in the future. Here are five tips for building your dream home.
Properly Budget
While building a new home is exciting, it can also be overwhelming without a clear understanding of all construction costs beforehand. Knowing site costs, government fees, stamp duty and other add-ons prior to construction commencing will help you modify your plans accordingly to stay within budget and timeline.
Thoroughy Research
Picking the right location to build your home is perhaps the biggest decision you’ll make. Research everything. If you work in the city, is there sufficient access to public transportation or highways? What would your daily commute to work be like?
If you have kids or are planning to have kids, is there access to good schools and parks? What about access to shops, restaurants, and other amenities?
What trajectory is the neighborhood on? How is the crime rate? Are there any future building proposals or developments in the works? If so, will they have a positive or negative impact on your neighborhood and your home’s value? It never hurts to contact local representatives for specific information about the area you’re considering.
Choose Your Floorplan Wisely
Before deciding on the floor plan, consider the orientation of your home. Orientation is the positioning of a home in relation to seasonal variations in the sun’s path and prevailing wind patterns as well. Good orientation will increase your home’s energy efficiency. Simply put, you’ll have a more comfortable home and lower utility bills. Orientation is often overlooked, but it’s an important detail when building a new home.
As you’re choosing your floorplan, the layout of your rooms and living areas will determine which parts of your house get the most sunlight during the day. Bedrooms are best situated on the south side since it’s the coolest side of a house. A living room is best situated on the north side, which gets more sunlight. Choosing your floor plan wisely not only increases the value of your house but will also reduce energy consumption thus lowering costs as well.
Have a Plan Before Building
Most people know how many bedrooms they want or how spacious they want their living room, kitchen, or bathroom to be. However, there are other important details that can’t be overlooked.
Don’t forget about extra storage. So many people build what they think is their dream home, only to realize once they’ve moved in that they never factored storage space into their plans.
Another commonly overlooked part of a new home is extra space for any guests that might periodically stay with you.
To help with budgeting, make a list of everything included in construction costs so far. Then decide on add-ons and upgrades. If you try to change anything during construction, you’re going to throw off both your budget and timeline for completion.
Think Safety
It’s really important to feel that you and your family are safe and secure in your new home. For this reason, you must consider things like exterior lighting, a security system, and fire exits when planning your build.